The Thompson's

I'm back....

2010-11-10T22:11:00.009-05:00

So...it's only been over two years since my last post and I figure better late than never, right? So much has happened and I hope to go back and highlight everything eventually, but for tonight I'll just post some recent pictures. Considering I couldn't even remember my login at first, I figure I'm doing good to get this far!

SCHOOL CARNIVAL ~ Sydney's school held their annual carnival, "Spike's Spooktacular," last month. This picture is of Sydney, Drew, and our friend's daughter, Izzy, riding the swing.

DENVER DOWNS ~ The weekend before Halloween we took the kids to Denver Downs in Anderson. They had a GREAT time on the hayride, picking out pumpkins, playing horseshoes, petting the animals, swinging on the ropes and everything else that had to do there. We will definitely be going back next year!

Here's Sydney on the cow/train thing. She thought it was a little babyish for her (she's going on 15 - more on that later).

...and last but not least - here's Drew running through the maze (he's changed a little since the previous post).

That's all for now. More to come...someday...soon...!

2 weeks old...

2008-09-18T23:24:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that Drew is already two weeks old. He is growing like a weed and has already outgrown his newborn clothes and diapers. He still eats every 2-3 hours so we aren't getting much sleep, but that comes with the territory. He's awake more and more each day and loves all of the attention from his big sister. While having two is much more challenging than we anticipated, we wouldn't change it for the world. We are so blessed to have them both and are excited to watch them grow up together!

Here's a couple new pictures! I'm off to bed...

Andrew Carter Thompson...

2008-09-10T15:03:00.009-04:00

Andrew "Drew" Carter Thompson came into this world last Thursday, September 4th at 5:29 p.m. He weighed 9 pounds (yes, 9 pounds) and was 21-1/2 inches long. We were discharged from the hospital Saturday morning and are happy to be home as a family of FOUR!

FINALLY!

2008-09-03T15:51:00.004-04:00

It's been about a month since I've posted anything and I thought this was probably a good time to do it! I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and since I am 4 days overdue already, they have decided to induce me. Jesse and I have to be at the hospital in about an hour and a half to get admitted, etc... They'll administer the Cervadil tonight and then the Pitocin tomorrow morning. HOPEFULLY we'll have a baby by tomorrow afternoon or evening.

We are very excited and relieved to finally meet Drew and Sydney is so ready to be a big sister she can hardly stand it. She'll be spending the night with my mom tonight and then hanging out with her tomorrow. We will definitely keep everyone posted!

Here's a couple pics of Sydney over the last couple of weeks - her last as an only child :)

SURPRISE!

2008-08-09T22:00:00.003-04:00

This past Thursday my co-workers surprised me with a Baby Shower at work! They went all out - had lunch brought in from Two Chefs, ordered a cake to match the rug in Drew's bedroom, and gave me all sorts of great gifts - gift cards, clothes, blankets, and much more! I really do work with great people and am so appreciative of everything they have done. Here's some pics...

Proud...

2008-07-27T14:59:00.007-04:00

Most of the entries I've written have been either about Sydney or the upcoming birth of Drew, but today's blog is all about Jesse. A recipe he's created for chili (Smoked tomato and chorizo chili with zamorano-polenta croutons) was just published in the July/August 2008 issue of Plate, a national industry publication. A photo of his creation served as the cover shot for the article and he is also quoted within the article. YAY JESSE!

I've always admired Jesse's passion for cooking - how he can come home from a 12-hour day and head straight for the cookbooks to come up with his next new dish or how he can spend hours on the internet researching new cooking techniques, etc... - but it's things like this that make the long, crazy hours all worth while.

Here's the left hand side of the first two-page spread. You can only see a small part of the actual dish in this shot. The small caption under the bowl is where Jesse's name is first mentioned. I've blown it up in the next picture... This is the right hand side of the two-page spread where you can really see what the finished dish looks like. YUM! Below is the page that Jesse is quoted on. I've blown up the actual quote in the next image...

I did not scan in a copy of the actual recipe because it was broken out on a couple different pages, but if anyone wants it, just let me know....

PUZZLES!

2008-07-24T22:15:00.005-04:00

Sydney's new favorite past time is putting together puzzles. Not the chunky wooden ones, but small jigsaw puzzles. She would do the same one over and over for an hour if you would let her. She gets just as excited when she finishes one (even if it's for the 20th time) as she did the very first time! Very cute.

Weekend Update...

2008-07-20T21:38:00.008-04:00

Saturday - We went to a birthday party for a little boy named Tyler, the son of some friends of ours. Tyler turned two this year and had a Spiderman themed party. We had a great time - Sydney especially enjoyed opening all of Tyler's gifts for him (he wasn't too interested). Here's a pic of Tyler giving Sydney a ride on his motorcycle. Saturday night - I went to a baby shower/dinner that one of my friends, Ashley, had planned for me. We met at an Italian restaurant and had a great dinner, great conversation (mostly about babies of course), and great dessert - Ashley brought some cupcakes from a local cupcake shop and they were absolutely delicious. They also brought all kinds of wonderful gifts for the baby. I am truely grateful to have such great friends! I don't have any pics from the night, but hopefully someone will email me some soon so I can post them ;).

Sunday - We made our normal Sunday grocery store run, ate lunch and all took a nap. After Sydney woke up we took her to Build-A-Bear in the mall so she could make a stuffed animal for Drew. She picked out a bear and of course had to get the clothes and everything as well. As you can see from the picture below, the finished product was heavily influenced by her Daddy.
Sunday night - Jesse made homemade pizza for dinner and it was great! It has been nice having someone home to cook for us this past week and we'll definitely miss him being home with us every night. After dinner Jesse gave Sydney a bath and then they settled down on the couch before bedtime.

Baby Shower!!!

2008-07-13T21:40:00.004-04:00

Even though this is our second child, my mom and Jesse's mom wanted to throw us a baby shower. It was held at my mom's house today and everything was great! We got so many great gifts and we are thankful to everyone that could come! We are truely blessed to have such wonderful family and friends in our lives.

Here's the diaper cake my mom made...
Here's the yummy edible cake...
Here are the parents-to-be with the big-sister-to-be...

Update...

2008-07-10T22:19:00.003-04:00

I had my 32 week check-up Monday morning and it went well. I've lost two pounds and the baby is head-down. I think I'm on track to not gain as much weight as I did with Sydney - YAY! My next check-up will be at 34 weeks.

Jesse is off for a week starting on Saturday. He's looking forward to having a break from work but not looking forward to my "to do before Drew is born" checklist. It's really not that long, but we do have a lot going on while he's off - we've picked a few cars to test drive (hopefully we'll agree on one), our families are throwing us a shower on Sunday, Jesse is going to Nashville for a couple of days to work with a guy that used to work for him, and then hopefully he can knock a few things off "the list."

Sydney's doing great. I'm really enjoying this age - the tantrums have all but stopped and she's becoming more and more independent each day. She's gotten really into her baby dolls and is also starting to enjoy games - Memory, Candy Land, etc... It's a lot of fun.

Speaking of Miss Independent - every night after she gets herself into her pajamas she's been accessorizing with something from her "dress up" stuff. She doesn't go all out, usually it's just shoes - either her ladybug rainboots or one of her Disney Princess shoe sets. Tonight, however, it was a cowboy hat and Zoey socks.

My Dad...

2008-07-05T14:40:00.003-04:00

My dad lost his battle with cancer 4 years ago today. This day doesn't ever seem to get any easier - it actually seems to have gotten harder. I think about everything that he has not been around for and how much more he'll be missing out on. I think what hurts the most is that neither of my kids will get the chance to meet or know him.

I, do, however manage to find some comfort in knowing that my dad is in a better place. The night he died we were flipping through his Bible and found the following verse marked:

John 14: 1-4
1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

4th of July

2008-07-05T14:14:00.011-04:00

Mimi and Makayla came over yesterday morning to play for a little bit (Mom was watching Makayla because both Sonya and Matt had to work). We blew up Sydney's baby pool and let the girls "swim" for a little while. Sydney loves the water and Makayla seemed to also. After they played and we ate lunch, Mimi and Makayla left so Sydney and I could take a nap - I've been taking a lot lately.

Later that night, Sydney and I went downtown and met up with Mom and her friend Vanessa. They had parked in a great spot to view the fireworks. Thankfully, Jesse was able to leave work for a little bit to come and watch them with us.

Sweet cousins...
The stare-down...Watching fireworks with Daddy...
Watching the fireworks finale...

Sonya's 30th and Charleston Anniversary trip...

2008-07-02T22:07:00.007-04:00

Jesse and I made a quick trip to Charleston to celebrate our Anniversary. We hung around Greenville Saturday night so we could go to Sonya's 30th birthday party and then left early Sunday morning for Charleston. We got there after lunch and headed straight to the Market. After checking out pretty much every store down there, we headed down to the Battery to watch the storm clouds rolling in. Then we went and checked in at our hotel and - WOW - we got there just in time. It started pouring the second we got to our room. I, of course, turned the television to the Weather Channel and find out that Charleston is under a tornado warning. No - for those of you that know me - I wasn't in the bathtub with the mattress over my head, but I was pretty nervous. Anyways, Jesse and I then showered and got ready for dinner. He had made reservations months ago for the "Ideas in Food" dinner at McCrady's. I wasn't sure how I would like some of it - like pickled watermelon rind or eucalyptus sorbet (Jesse's posted pics on his blog -http://restauranto.blogspot.com/), but I was pleasantly surprised with each of the 12 courses we were served. After the 4-1/2 hours we were at McCrady's, we were both pretty tired so we headed back to the hotel. The next morning Jesse found out one of his cook's was sick, so we had to cut the trip short and head home. It was unfortunate, but we still had a good time and I'm thankful for the time alone that we could spend together before Drew is born.

Here's a couple pics from the weekend...

The one below is of Sydney and Makayla at Sonya's birthday party. They have many matching outfits... This is a shot of the storm clouds over Charleston. Freaky if you ask me. This is a ridiculous picture of Jesse and I after shopping the Market in 100 degree weather. Unfortunately it's the only one I have of the two of us from the trip. Don't you love my swollen face and pregnancy nose :). And I have 2 months left?!?!?!?

4 years ago today....

2008-06-28T14:35:00.010-04:00

Jesse and I were married in a private sunrise ceremony on Sandy Beach, Oahu, Hawaii. It was perfect! I love looking back on pictures from this special day...

Sneak Peek...

2008-06-19T21:56:00.012-04:00

We had Sydney's 3 year portraits taken last weekend. I think they turned out pretty well. Here's a sneak peek...

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T21:58:00.009-04:00

Sydney is not usually a morning person, but she was wide awake when she got out of bed today. She wanted to wake her Daddy up right away - she couldn't wait to give him his Father's Day gift - a wallet and card that she picked out all by herself and a Barnes and Noble gift card - but I had bought her a t-shirt that says "Daddy's Little Sous Chef" to wear so I made her put that on first. She then woke him up by screaming "Happy Father's Day" and handing him his gift. He was surprised - his gym membership was supposed to be his Father's day gift so I don't think he was expecting anything.

After hanging around the house a little bit, we went to Barnes & Noble for a while, ate lunch at Monterrey's, went home so Sydney could take a power nap, went to Jesse's grandma's to celebrate June birthdays and Father's Day with all of the Dad's, and then finally headed home to relax.

Here's a pic of Daddy's girl in her new t-shirt!

Happy Father's Day Jesse - Thanks for ALL you do. We Love You!

She's a trooper...

2008-06-11T14:55:00.002-04:00

Sydney had 2 doctor's appointments today - her 3-year check up with the pediatrician and a check-up at the eye doctor.

We went to the pediatrician first and got an excellent report. She now weighs 32 pounds (64th percentile) and is 36 inches tall (24th percentile). It's amazing how fast they grow! The doctor also said (not to brag!) that Sydney is very mature for her age and has advanced cognitive and fine motor skills. I, of course, liked hearing that, but Sydney could've cared less. She was too worried about whether or not she had to get a shot - which she didn't - THANK GOODNESS!

Next it was on to the opthamologist. I expected it was going to go well because I can see improvement just from her last check-up 8 weeks ago - and it did! With her glasses on her vision is now 20/30 in both eyes and the misalignment is almost totally gone. She now only has to wear the patch for 1 hour a day for the next 6 weeks. Then she will go 4 weeks without it and we'll have a check-up at 10 weeks. Hopefully, she won't have to wear it anymore after that. YAY!

After the appointments I took Sydney out for lunch since she had been so cooperative and patient through both of her appointments. She's a trooper and such a blessing....

Sydney Turns 3!

2008-06-11T14:12:00.007-04:00

WOW! What a crazy day yesterday was! Jesse spent all day working on the swingset that the grandparents had bought Sydney for her bithday. He told her it would be up by her birthday - mission accomplished! I picked Sydney up from Lisa's after work and it was finished by the time we got home. Shortly after we got home, the family came over for dinner to celebrate - we had ribs, pasta salad, baked beans, and watermelon. After that Sydney opened her gifts and we ate Dora cupcakes (of course) and ice cream! Here's some pics...

Testing the new swingset - she's trying to swing it by herself if you're wondering shy she's laying back...

Dinner time, cousin Makayla in her party hat, Sydney's expression when she saw her Dora scooter and then her trying it out...in the house!

Saturday = Party Day!

2008-06-08T14:14:00.027-04:00

Yesterday morning we had a birthday party for Sydney at Monkey Joe's, a Kids Indoor Inflatable Playground. She had a blast! Here are some pics...

(L-R) - Sydney not letting her Daddy have any of her slushy, Mimi and Sydney playing air hockey against Aunt Abby, and Sydney anxiously waiting to blow out the candles on her Dora cake!

(L-R) - the Dora cake (picture is blurry - SORRY!), Sydney opening gifts - her friends gave her Polly Pockets, coloring books, Color Wonder stuff, a baby doll (that burps and pees), and gift cards!

(L-R) - Sydney made Aunt Abby get in the inflatable obstacle course with her, Sydney with her Grandpa and cousin Makayla!

Late yesterday afternoon Sydney and I went to a pool party to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the company work for (Jesse stayed at home to work on Sydney's new swingset). Sydney had a really good time at the pool party. She was hesitant to get in the water without me (no way was I getting in a bathing suit in front of co-workers!) and hung out on the pool steps most of the time. She did manage to hold her nose and go under just enough to get most of her hair wet. Here's a pic of our 1-year cake and a picture of Sydney with her new buddy Caroline, the daughter of a friend from work.

Sprinkler fun!

2008-06-01T21:54:00.006-04:00

We've been watering the yard like crazy lately to get grass to grow on the upper back part of our lot where we had it cleared out. So, every night we've been letting Sydney get into her bathing suit and run through the sprinkler (on the lower level that already has grass). This weekend was no exception. Here's a few pics...

These are from Saturday afternoon. Check out the belly...

These are from Sunday. We had cut up some watermelon (Syd's favorite) and taken it outside with us. Jesse was trying to get Sydney to catch it in her mouth - notice the piece of watermelon in the 2nd picture...

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

2008-05-27T21:49:00.011-04:00

Saturday - Jesse and his staff at O took a "field trip" to Split Creek Farms in Anderson Saturday morning to check out the farm and see what all they do there (O uses various items from Split Creek). He thought Sydney would enjoy it so he took her along with them. I stayed behind to catch up on housework - what fun! Anyways - Sydney had a great time. She got to hang out with her daddy and Josh (Jesse's former sous chef who Sydney talks about all the time), got to pet the goats, and ate a hefty sampling of feta cheese. Below is a picture of Sydney with Josh and one of Sydney and one of the goats.

Sunday - Jesse and Sydney spent a few hours Sunday morning cleaning cars. Yes - it took a few hours. Sydney loves playing in water so she was in heaven - she was drenched by the time they were done. Jesse, on the other hand, wasn't too happy when Sydney got ahold of the hose and squirted him (he was on the phone though)! After Sydney's nap we went to Toys R' Us to pick up the playset that the grandparents are getting her for her birthday and went and looked at a few cars (mine will be traded in soon for a car that will actually hold two car seats). Here's some pics from car washing...

Monday - Sydney spent the morning at the Greenville Zoo with Grandma "Vickie" so Jesse and I could go test drive a few cars (No - we didn't get a new one yet, but it will be soon). After spending a couple hours at the dealership we picked Syndey up, went home for a short nap and them drove to Simpsonville for Freedom Weekend Aloft. We went to see the hot air balloons, but they never went up because it was too windy. Sydney didn't seem to mind though - she was having too much fun on the rides and bounce houses/slides.

Volleyball Star?

2008-05-22T22:04:00.005-04:00

We've been playing outside a lot in the evenings lately and Sydney loves it. The other night Jesse and her were throwing the "basketball" back and forth and she started bumping it like a volleyball. I guess she picked that up from going to her Aunt Abby's volleyball games at Wade Hampton? Here's a few action shots...

"Baby Brother" finally has a name....

2008-05-20T22:01:00.003-04:00

We've finally decided on a name for the new baby - Andrew Carter Thompson and we plan to call him Drew. The name has no significant meaning - not a family name, friend's name, etc... We just like that name. Sydney likes the name, too. She's very excited about his arrival in a few months and has already been asking if she can help change his diaper and feed him. She's been practicing her diaper-changing skills on her Cabbage Patch doll. We've gone through a lot of baby doll diapers, but she actually does very well for a soon-to-be 3 year old. I know she'll be a big help to us.

Daddy's apprentice

2008-05-14T12:34:00.009-04:00

Sydney has been interested in cooking for a while now. She always wants to be in the kitchen while I'm making dinner, she asked Santa for her own kitchen this past Christmas and she's even asked to go to work with her Daddy so she can cook with him and Josh (Jesse's sous chef). At home, Jesse lets her help him when he's cooking (I'm too afraid she'll get hurt) and last week they made lettuce wraps together (YUM)! Here's a few pics of Chef Sydney peeling garlic, grating ginger, mixing the peanut sauce in the food processor, and of course giving it a taste test.

Cheesecake..."Ta-da"...

2008-05-03T22:36:00.009-04:00

My mom, Sydney and I went to dinner tonight. Me and mom both ordered salads to be "good," but my pregnancy craving kicked in when the waiter mentioned cheesecake for dessert so we all split a piece. Sydney's never had it before so I wasn't sure if she'd like it or not. She'll surprise you with what she will and won't eat - she won't touch PB&J, but she likes calamari and grilled asparagas - go figure! But she liked it - notice the big forkful in the pic.

When we got home it was time to give Sydney a bath and get her ready for bed. She's been getting dressed by herself for a while now, but lately she doesn't want us to stay in the room while she's doing it. She now likes to run full speed down the hall and yell "Ta-da" when she's done. I had the camera ready tonight after she put her jammies on...

Weekend around the house

2008-04-29T21:35:00.016-04:00

This past weekend was pretty uneventful. Besides the normal grocery store run, we hung around the house most of the time since it rained a good bit. Sydney spent a lot of time singing, dancing, and tumbling. Here's a few pics...

Family, flowers and fences...

2008-04-21T22:44:00.010-04:00

This past weekend was busier than most for us. On Saturday morning, Sydney and I met my mom, Abby, Sonya, Matt and Makayla for lunch to celebrate Abby's 26th birthday. It isn't often that we can all get together, so it was nice to spend time with everyone (minus Jesse - who is always working). Afterwards, Sydney and I went shopping for curtains and accessories to match her new bedding - no luck. Then it was back home for a nice long nap for both of us! On Sunday Jesse worked hard to clear out the rest of our lot so the fencing people could start placing the posts today. While he did that, I took Sydney with me to Lowe's and let her pick out flowers for the pots on the back patio. When we got home she helped me plant them - she is such a big help and did a great job. She did, however, manage to get her feet extremely dirty - and she can't stand dirty feet. Jesse took today off so he could be there when the fencing people started on the back yard. I was anxious to get home today and see the fence finally being put up. They hope to be finished by Thursday. We can't wait!!!!

Bring on the big girl bed...

2008-04-18T22:05:00.021-04:00

Even though Sydney's crib converted to a toddler bed and eventually to a full size bed, we decided to pass her baby furniture on to her little brother (still no name). So, last weekend Jesse and I took off to IKEA in Atlanta in search of a new bedroom set for Sydney. Choosing which set was a huge ordeal (for me anyways) - oak or cherry; antique stain or white; regular bed, bunk beds or day bed, etc... We were there for over 4 hours (but if you've ever been though - that's not TOO hard to do). We finally decided on a white set that included a twin bed since Sydney's room isn't too big.

We moved the dresser in right away, but had to wait on the mattress delivery to put up her new bed and it's been killing Sydney. Jesse finally had a chance this morning to get it all set up and Sydney was super-excited when we got home tonight. Of course her babies - Tia Marie and Ashley Amanda have to sleep with her.

Great report from the eye doctor...

2008-04-16T15:35:00.013-04:00

Sydney had a follow-up appointment today with the eye doctor. Dr. White performed all of the tests necessary to see if the glasses were helping with the misaligment and turning of her eyes. While Sydney still struggles with identifying objects out of her left eye, she did very well with the right eye. Her vision is now 20/100 in her left and 20/30 in her right. That doesn't sound too great, but its a significant improvement from her first appointment 8 weeks ago. Dr. White now wants us to try patching her left eye 2 hours a day for the next 8 weeks to see if that helps even more - we are praying it does because it's so hard to watch her struggle with her vision.

After the appointment Sydney picked out her eye patches - she chose the box with dalmation spots, lady bugs and funny looking stick people. We haven't had too much luck with her keeping the patch on today, but I have managed to snap a couple "pirate" pictures so far....

It's a BOY!

2008-04-12T21:54:00.004-04:00

I created this blog in August of last year, but never posted anything to it. I'm not quite sure why I didn't, but I've decided that it's something I really need to do. Sydney is growing up so fast and her baby brother (no name yet) will be here before we know it. This will probably be the best way for me to keep everyone up to speed on what's going on in our busy lives. I'm not sure how often I'll post, but I hope to be able to at least a couple times a week.

In the meantime, check out our 20-week ultrasound pics below which were taken this past Wednesday (a profile shot and one of his boy part - neither turned out TOO great!). Our little guy is 11-12 inches long already. The U/S tech said he has really long arms! Basketball player?